Ohio woman's OSU poster gets national attention

Connie Frenton sits with her collection of memorabilia for family and friends from the National Championship game. Frenton made a sign that was featured during the game.(Photo: Sara C. Tobias/The Advocate)Buy Photo

NEWARK – Connie Frenton estimates she has had only about 20 hours of sleep since last Friday, when she left her home in Newark to make the trip to Arlington to root on the Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff National Championship game.

Between the 17-hour drive, staying up late to work on her poster for the game, hanging out at the Buckeye Bash, tailgating, going to the game and then driving home, there wasn't much time for sleep.

It was well worth it, though, for the chance to see Ohio State compete in the National Championship, Frenton said. Plus it came with the added bonus of making an appearance on live television during Jimmy Kimmel's Lord of the Poster Board Contest.

Frenton was one of three fans who were chosen to compete in the contest during halftime for Kimmel's "Golden Sharpie Award."

Before she knew she was even going to the game, Frenton was already crafting her poster design in her head.

"I just wanted something to support Brutus and the Buckeyes," Frenton said. "My daughter said, 'Don't worry about that Jimmy Kimmel thing, they always pick stupid signs.' But I didn't care."

Showing some love for Brutus was always Frenton's No. 1 priority, as her nephew is one of the Brutus Buckeye mascots.

As soon as her tickets were secured, she got to work on the poster. She spent the days leading up her trip down south by cutting out pieces of her sign and getting everything ready. Frenton, her sisters and her daughter left Friday to make the drive, and although they arrived in Dallas at 2 a.m., the women decided to stay up a few more hours to put the finishing touches on the poster.

What they ended up with was a giant poster featuring a Buckeye store that had closed because the owner, Brutus himself, had "Gone huntin.' " And what was he hunting? Ducks, of course.

The sign read "We got 'R' 12 guage & we're huntin ducks," a reference to quarterback Cardale Jones and his "12-gauge" arm. While displaying the poster at a tailgating event, someone from Kimmel's team saw it and quickly asked Frenton to meet him at halftime for the contest.

She was surprised, and a little nervous about the possibility of being on TV, but she couldn't say no.

It wasn't until Frenton met Kimmel that she realized her sign was in need of a spell check. When putting the sign together with her family, someone accidentally switched the A and U in gauge.

Kimmel pointed it out while reviewing the sign, saying "Spelling's not great, but a lot of creativity."

Sure, it was a little embarrassing, but Frenton just laughs about it now.

"None of us caught it. We took that sign everywhere; people were coming up and asking if they could take pictures with it, and nobody said anything," Frenton said.

Typo and all, Frenton is happy with how her poster came out. She didn't win the Lord of the Poster Board contest, but that doesn't bother her one bit, because she left Arlington with the only win she wanted: a Buckeye win over the University of Oregon Ducks.

Since the poster contest, many of her friends and family members have called and texted to tell Frenton how excited they were to see her on TV. Many of them also assured her she should have won the poster contest, saying her sign far oudid the others in creativity.

Frenton brought the famous sign home to Newark, and it will soon be making its way to her 12-year-old grandson, who plans to hang it up in his OSU-themed bedroom.

Being at the championship game was like nothing else, Frenton said. While some people were doubting Ohio State's chances after turning the ball over four times, Frenton and her family never wavered in their faith the Buckeyes would come out on top.

"We just had a really good feeling about it," she said. "We met so many people and had so much fun. This really was the trip of a lifetime."